Recipe
Servings
18 cookies 1×
Serves 18 cookiesPrep 10 minCook 9 minTotal 30 min
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter , approximately 240g
- 1 cup granulated sugar , approximately 200g
- 1 large egg
Method
- Prepare the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) . Line one or two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Combine the mixture. Place the peanut butter, sugar, and egg in a mixing bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon or beat with an electric mixer until the mixture is smooth and fully combined. The dough will be thick and slightly sticky.
- Portion the dough. Scoop approximately 1 to 1½ tablespoons of dough for each cookie. Roll each portion between your hands to form a ball. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet, leaving approximately 2 inches between them.
- Create the pattern. Press each dough ball gently with the back of a fork, then press again from the opposite direction to form a criss-cross pattern. This flattens the dough and allows the cookies to bake evenly.
- Bake. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes , or until the edges appear set and the bottoms are lightly golden. The centres may still look slightly soft. Do not wait for the entire surface to become firm in the oven.
- Cool. Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 2 minutes. Transfer them to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely. They will firm as they cool.
Peanut Butter Cookies (3-Ingredient Easy Recipe)
Definition
cookie (noun): A small baked food made from a sweetened dough.
three-ingredient (adjective): Composed of three primary ingredients and no unnecessary procedural burden.
This recipe produces tender peanut butter cookies using peanut butter, granulated sugar, and one egg. No flour, butter, baking powder, or chilling period is required. The cookies are naturally flourless and suitable for a gluten-free diet when all packaged ingredients are certified gluten-free.
The finished texture is soft in the centre, lightly crisp at the edges, and marked with the standard fork pattern. The process is short. The ingredient list is finite. The oven remains the final authority.
Ingredients
You will need:
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter , approximately 240g
- 1 cup granulated sugar , approximately 200g
- 1 large egg
Use conventional creamy peanut butter for the most predictable result. Natural peanut butter can be used if it has been thoroughly stirred and contains no excess oil separated at the top. Excess oil may cause the dough to spread.
The sugar provides sweetness and contributes to the lightly crisp outer edge. The egg binds the mixture and helps the cookies set during baking. There is no structural flour component. This is intentional.
Method
Prepare the oven.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line one or two baking sheets with parchment paper.Combine the mixture.
Place the peanut butter, sugar, and egg in a mixing bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon or beat with an electric mixer until the mixture is smooth and fully combined. The dough will be thick and slightly sticky.Portion the dough.
Scoop approximately 1 to 1½ tablespoons of dough for each cookie. Roll each portion between your hands to form a ball. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet, leaving approximately 2 inches between them.Create the pattern.
Press each dough ball gently with the back of a fork, then press again from the opposite direction to form a criss-cross pattern. This flattens the dough and allows the cookies to bake evenly.Bake.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges appear set and the bottoms are lightly golden. The centres may still look slightly soft. Do not wait for the entire surface to become firm in the oven.Cool.
Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 2 minutes. Transfer them to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely. They will firm as they cool.
Timing
- Prep time: 10 minutes
- Cook time: 8–10 minutes
- Cooling time: 10 minutes
- Total time: Approximately 30 minutes
- Servings: 18 cookies
Oven temperatures vary. Begin checking at 8 minutes, particularly if the cookies are small. A longer bake will produce a drier, firmer cookie. A shorter bake will preserve a softer centre.
Tips
Measure accurately
Use a level cup for the peanut butter and sugar. Too much peanut butter can produce cookies that spread or remain oily. Too much sugar can make the edges brittle.
For the most accurate result, weigh the ingredients. Use approximately 240g peanut butter, 200g sugar, and one large egg.
Do not overbake
These cookies continue cooking on the hot baking sheet after they leave the oven. Remove them when the edges are set but the centres remain soft. If the cookies appear completely firm before removal, they may become dry after cooling.
Control spreading
If the dough is unusually soft, place the shaped dough balls in the refrigerator for 15 minutes before baking. This is not normally required, but it can help when the peanut butter is warm or highly oily.
Bake one test cookie first if the brand of peanut butter is unfamiliar. This establishes how quickly the dough spreads in your oven.
Use parchment
Parchment paper reduces sticking and makes removal easier. Allow the cookies to cool briefly before moving them. Hot cookies are fragile and may break under routine administrative handling.
Avoid crowding
Leave space between the dough balls. The cookies spread during baking. If the tray is crowded, the edges may merge and the centres may bake unevenly.
Variations
Less sweet
Reduce the sugar to ⅔ cup, or approximately 135g. The cookies will have a more pronounced peanut flavour and a softer texture.
Chocolate
Press several chocolate chips into the dough before baking, or place one chocolate button on each warm cookie immediately after it leaves the oven. This technically changes the ingredient count. The record should reflect that.
Salted
Add a small pinch of fine salt if using unsalted peanut butter. Alternatively, sprinkle a small amount of flaky salt over the cookies before baking.
Crunchy
Use crunchy peanut butter for additional peanut pieces and a more irregular texture. Monitor the cookies closely because visible peanut pieces can brown more quickly.
Sandwich cookies
Once completely cool, spread a thin layer of jam or chocolate spread between two cookies. The result is less minimal and more structurally committed.
Gluten-free
The recipe contains no wheat flour. For strict gluten-free preparation, verify that the peanut butter, sugar, and any optional additions are labelled gluten-free and prepare them on clean equipment.
Storage
Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Place parchment between layers if the cookies are soft.
The cookies may be frozen in a sealed container for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature. To restore some freshness, warm them in a low oven for several minutes. Do not refreeze after thawing.
Unbaked dough balls may also be frozen. Arrange them on a tray until firm, transfer them to a freezer-safe container, and bake from frozen with an additional 1 to 2 minutes of cooking time.
FAQ
Can I make these cookies without an egg?
Not with the same formula and expected texture. The egg functions as the primary binder. Egg substitutes may work, but they introduce a different moisture balance and require testing.
Can I use natural peanut butter?
Yes, provided it is thoroughly mixed before measuring. Natural peanut butter with substantial separated oil may cause excess spreading. A test cookie is recommended.
Why did my cookies crumble?
The cookies may have been overbaked, moved before cooling, or made with insufficient egg or peanut butter. Allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring them.
Why did my cookies spread too much?
Likely causes include warm dough, oily peanut butter, an inaccurate ingredient ratio, or a baking sheet that was warm when the dough was placed on it. Chill the dough briefly and confirm the measurements.
Are these cookies flourless?
Yes. The base recipe contains no flour. Check the ingredient labels of all packaged products if gluten-free certification is required.
Can I make smaller cookies?
Yes. Use approximately 1 tablespoon of dough per cookie and begin checking them after 6 to 8 minutes. Smaller cookies will bake more quickly.
Do I need to flatten the cookies?
Yes. The fork pattern is functional as well as decorative. The dough does not spread as substantially as conventional cookie dough, so flattening promotes even baking.
Recipe
Three-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
Yield: 18 cookies
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 8–10 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter, approximately 240g
- 1 cup granulated sugar, approximately 200g
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Stir the peanut butter, sugar, and egg together until smooth.
- Scoop 1 to 1½ tablespoons of dough for each cookie and roll into balls.
- Place the dough balls on the baking sheet, leaving approximately 2 inches between them.
- Flatten each ball with a fork in a criss-cross pattern.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly golden.
- Cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
For comparison with other published versions of this standard preparation, consult Food52’s three-ingredient peanut butter cookie recipe and Allrecipes’ three-ingredient peanut butter cookies. Ingredient brands, oven calibration, and local food-safety requirements remain outside the jurisdiction of this recipe.
